Highlights Of Draft McHenry County Unified Development Ordinance

McHenry County releases report highlighting proposed regulations contained in the draft Unified Development Ordinance compared to existing county regulations.

Starting April 2, the McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) will conduct four public hearings on the McHenry County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). In advance of the hearings, the Department of Planning and Development is releasing a 18-page report providing background on the UDO and highlighting many of the changes contained in the UDO compared to the ordinances that it will supplant.

“The many members of the public who have participated in the joint Planning and Development Committee and Zoning Board of Appeals review process over the last one and a half years are very familiar with the contents of the new Ordinance. But we realize that the vast majority of McHenry County residents and property owners are not. We want to provide them a guide that highlights some of the many changes contained in the UDO,” explains the McHenry County Planning and Development Director Dennis Sandquist, “Residents and property owners are encouraged to read the report and to review the portions of the UDO that are of interest to them in advance of the public hearings. Staff will provide a brief overview of the UDO prior to the commencement of the hearings. But, it will not be possible to review the entire 300 page ordinance.”

Both the full report and the Public Hearing Draft Unified Development Ordinance are available for viewing at the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development Office or on the County Website at: www.co.mchenry.il.us/county-government/departments-j-z/planning-development.

According to the report, the Unified Development Ordinance will regulate development in unincorporated McHenry County. The UDO consolidates and amends the text of the McHenry County Zoning, Subdivision, and Sign Ordinance as well as several related ordinances.

The County’s primary objectives for developing the UDO include establishing regulations to implement the County’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan and Water Resources Action Plan; addressing emerging land use topics; and revising and adopting new standards for temporary uses, conditional uses, and non-conforming uses and structures.

The County has been developing the UDO since late 2010.  The Planning and Development Committee and Zoning Board of Appeals held over forty joint meetings to review and revise the draft UDO. These meeting were open to the public and dozens of stakeholder groups and interested persons provided thoughtful comments and suggestions that have been incorporated in to the UDO. 

The report begins with a notice that the UDO does not alter the zoning designation of any parcel of land. Whatever a parcel of land is zoned today; it will have the same zoning after adoption of the UDO.  The remainder of the report highlights 45 changes in the UDO compared to the County’s existing adopted zoning, subdivision, and sign ordinances. This is not a comprehensive list of all changes.

The highlights address new and revised regulations for topics such as how building setbacks are measured; where conditional uses are allowed; agritourism; agricultural (A-2) zoning; farmstands; equestrian uses; billboards; landscape businesses; wind energy systems; sensitive aquifer recharge areas; exterior lighting standards; off-road riding facilities, and subdivision standards for right-of-way widths, cul-de-sacs, and interconnected roadways.

Director Sandquist further stated, “Readers of the report and the ordinance will see that the UDO brings the County’s regulations up to date even addressing emerging land use topics such as Medical Cannabis Facilities consistent with recent state statues and providing regulations for the storage of pavement deicing salt, which is a major concern to our water supply.”

The full report and the Public Hearing Draft Unified Development Ordinance are available for viewing at the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development Office or on the County Website at: www.co.mchenry.il.us/county-government/departments-j-z/planning-development.

The Zoning Board of Appeals hearing to review the UDO will be held as follows:

April 2 at 6:00 P.M. in the Auditorium at the Marengo High School, 110 Franks Road in Marengo

April 3 at 6:00 P.M. in Conference Room at the McHenry Township Office, 3703 N. Richmond Road in Johnsburg.

April 4 at 1:30 P.M. in the Scot Room at the McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. Highway 14 in Crystal Lake.

April 7 at 6:00 P.M. in School Board Meeting Room at the Harvard Community Unit School District 50/Central Administration Center, 401 N. Division Street, Harvard, Illinois.

Any person desiring to provide comment on the text amendment may be present at the public hearing. Written comments may also be mailed to Richard Kelly Jr., Chairman, McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals, 2200 N. Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL  60098 or emailed to PlanDev@co.mchenry.il.us. All written and emailed comments must be received by 4:30 PM, Friday, April 11, 2014.